System for maintaining flame stability and temperature in a Claus thermal reactor

Abstract

A system may include a sulfur recovery unit. The sulfur recovery unit may include an acid gas supply, which may supply acid gas, an oxygen supply, which may supply oxygen, a fuel supply, which may supply fuel. The fuel may have a higher heating value than the acid gas. Also, the sulfur recovery unit may include a thermal reaction zone, which may thermally recover sulfur from the acid gas by combustion of the fuel and the acid gas with the oxygen and through reaction of the acid gas with combustion products arising from the combustion.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A system, comprising:
 a sulfur recovery unit, comprising:
 an acid gas supply configured to supply acid gas; 
 an oxygen supply configured to supply oxygen; 
 a fuel supply configured to supply fuel, wherein the fuel has a higher heating value than the acid gas; 
 an ammonia supply configured to supply ammonia, wherein each of the ammonia supply, the acid gas supply, the oxygen supply, and the fuel supply are distinct from one another; and 
 a thermal reaction zone configured to thermally recover sulfur from the acid gas by combustion of the fuel, the ammonia, and the acid gas with the oxygen and reaction of the acid gas with combustion products arising from the combustion. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sulfur recovery unit comprises a catalytic reaction zone configured to catalytically recover sulfur from the acid gas by a catalytic reaction. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein a first portion of acid gas is routed to the first reaction zone of the thermal reaction zone and a second portion of the acid gas is routed to a second reaction zone of the thermal reaction zone, and the first portion is one third by volume of the acid gas. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , comprising a premixing chamber coupled to the acid gas supply and the fuel supply, wherein the premixing chamber comprises an outlet coupled to the first reaction zone. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , comprising a premixing chamber coupled to the acid gas supply, the fuel supply, and the ammonia supply, wherein the premixing chamber comprises an outlet coupled to the first reaction zone. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sulfur recovery unit receives the fuel in an amount sufficient to maintain a stable flame and a temperature of at least approximately 2300 degrees Fahrenheit in the first reaction zone. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel comprises syngas preheated to a temperature of at least approximately 550 degrees Fahrenheit. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel comprises a raw syngas or a purified syngas, and the fuel supply is configured to couple to one or more locations in an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) system including a gas turbine engine. 
     
     
       9. A system, comprising:
 a sulfur recovery unit, comprising:
 an ammonia supply configured to supply ammonia; 
 an acid gas supply configured to supply acid gas; 
 an oxygen supply configured to supply oxygen; 
 a fuel supply configured to supply fuel, wherein each of the ammonia supply, the acid gas supply, the oxygen supply, and the fuel supply are distinct from one another; and 
 a thermal reaction zone comprising a first reaction zone configured to thermally recover sulfur from the acid gas by combustion of the acid gas with the oxygen and from reaction of the acid gas with products of the combustion, wherein the first reaction zone is configured to combust the fuel with a first portion of the acid gas and the oxygen prior to combustion with a second portion of the acid gas in a second reaction zone. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the sulfur recovery unit comprises a catalytic reaction zone configured to catalytically recover sulfur from the acid gas by a catalytic reaction. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the second reaction zone is configured to thermally recover sulfur from the second portion of the acid gas by a reaction of the second portion of the acid gas with the with products of the combustion. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , comprising a premixing chamber coupled to the acid gas supply and the fuel supply, wherein the premixing chamber comprises an outlet coupled to the first reaction zone. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the first reaction zone is configured to combust the fuel, the first portion of the acid gas, and the ammonia with the oxygen. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the sulfur recovery unit receives the fuel in an amount sufficient to maintain a stable flame and a temperature of at least approximately 2300 to 2450 degrees Fahrenheit in the first reaction zone. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the fuel comprises a raw syngas or a purified syngas, and the fuel supply is configured to couple to one or more locations in an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) system. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the first portion of the acid gas is one third by volume of the acid gas.